#1 Try to always make your misses on the high side of the hole , in other words , read a little too much break.

#2 you will find the speed of the greens on the course you are about to play by hitting long putts on the practice green. Really long putts until you have feel for the speed.

#3 Use light grip pressure and let your arms hang you relieve tension.

#4 In your practice sessions {when not playing} focus about 80% on 8-foot putts.

#5 Use the shoulders more and try to eliminate getting too wristy.

Good luck fellas

My putting tips:

1. Read Putting Out of Your Mind. Not a bad idea to read it about once a year.

2. Take an AimPoint class.

3. Practice. Bonus points for doing some work with a chalk line.


If you do those three things (doesn't work if you skip #3, sorry) then you will be much better at putting than almost everyone you play with.

bagger05 , where did you take aimpoint ?

I had 44 putts at Torrey Northlast Friday. Time to practice. They were the toughest I've played there, but still ridiculous.

I am a legit 3 handicap. I have played golf since I was 4. I can putt my *** off. What I can't do is read a green.

I know I have a couple of issues:

The biggest; I don't give a damn, I am out to have fun on the golf course. I hit a drive, 2nd shot on the green. I don't want to mentally walk around the green 9 times, find the grain, grass, break, water, sun, drainage line and God knows what else you have to look at to find the right line.

I play golf with guys that I am 10X better than Tee to green. They get to the green, anything inside of 12 feet is drano'd and no matter how far they are out, their not 3 putting.

Me, I am picking up or tapping in for par. From 15 feet out, I am at risk of 3 putting...

What is it they know that I don't???? In a scramble, I am deadly. I know where to hit it.

Thoughts?

from the movie, "the Greatest Game Ever Played"...per little Eddie Lowery to Francis Ouimet:

1) see it
2) roll it
3) hole it

if only it was that easy

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Me, I am picking up or tapping in for par. From 15 feet out, I am at risk of 3 putting...

Thoughts?

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Based on this...You're lyin about 1 of 2 things. You either can't putt your azz off or you're not a 3 handicap. Either that or you hole out a chit ton.

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I had 44 putts at Torrey Northlast Friday. Time to practice. They were the toughest I've played there, but still ridiculous.

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Torrey North had some of the most difficult greens to read I have ever played on. The South was more severe I thought but you could look at it and figure out where it was going. The North I felt like nothing rolled how it looked. Everything had subtle break in it that I never saw.

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bagger05 , where did you take aimpoint ?

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Watters Creek in Allen.

Old school: I'm a big fan of Bob Rotella books. Sounds like a mental problem...read "Putting out of your mind" or "Golf is not a game of perfect"

I love the social aspect of golf...but really good golfers (and even a lot of hacks) also love the mental/concentration part of the game, too. It doesn't take much...just CONCENTRATE...for 15 seconds before every shot. Formulate a plan and then try to execute that plan.

If you're having trouble reading greens, here's my advice. When your feet are on the green...PAY ATTENTION! It starts when you first walk on to the green and shouldn't stop until you hole your putt. It doesn't have to be 100% focus...but just pay attention to the slope as you walk to your ball...notice what other people's chips and putts do on the green. And if you're playing on Bermuda greens...you have to pay attention to the grain...sorry that's just a fact.

And if you don't give a damn...then don't give a damn...in which case you'll probably start holing more putts!

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I don't want to mentally walk around the green 9 times, find the grain, grass, break, water, sun, drainage line and God knows what else you have to look at to find the right line.

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It's really not that hard, time consuming or mentally taxing to do any of these. Pay attention when you walk up to your ball and note what the slope appears to be doing. Typically you'll catch about 180* of the 360* the pros look at then. Grain... just look at the hole as you walk by to mark your ball and see which side of the hole is browned, that's the direction the grain is growing. Then squat behind your ball as I'm sure you normally do, line it up and hit the putt.

If you're good enough to be a 3 handicap, it means you have played enough golf to generally know how the ball will respond with certain looks on the green. Stop being a mental sloth and pay just a little attention to your surroundings.

This drill honestly is the best thing I've done as far as refining my putting stroke. It makes you realize that you are not always putting down the line you think you are (push/pulls, etc). Doesn't help with speed though.

http://www.easypars.com/3-6-9-putting-drill/

oldschool87 , I have no reason to doubt that you are a 3 handicap , but if you are I will say this.

Start kkeping stats on your putts and your opponents.

I am betting that you are better than you think , and your pals miss a whole lot of putts within 12 feet , you just remember the ones that go into the jar.

*******I already gave you 5 tips******** , put them into play.

Your are probably right my putting is probably not as bad as I make it out to be. but I am at the point where those strokes are all that is left to really work on. Not claiming I am Nicklaus, but on average I am in the fairway and on the green in 2. Could I be closer yea, could I put better absolutely. Where am I going to find the most strokes, on the green! I have worked really hard on 5 feet and in. Have gotten much better there.

My issues are reading the greens from 8 to 20 feet. I am a true 3 handicap, (means I shoot 70 to 79 on avg...) but I can take a round of 70 and turn it into a round of 78 much faster than I can a round of 78 and take it down a few strokes.

It is all mental for the most part, but when I do really try, it is not much better. I play a ryder cup every year. 100 holes in 72 hours. I am very mentally focused, I do walk around the green and really study the green, and I guess that is where my true frustration lies. If I am playing a casual round, it is what it is, but when I am really working to win a round for the team, not sure where the ball needs to be hit!

Will read some of the books you suggested.

Sounds like aimpoint would be a huge benefit to you.

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I had 44 putts at Torrey Northlast Friday. Time to practice. They were the toughest I've played there, but still ridiculous.

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Torrey North had some of the most difficult greens to read I have ever played on. The South was more severe I thought but you could look at it and figure out where it was going. The North I felt like nothing rolled how it looked. Everything had subtle break in it that I never saw.

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Yeah, they are tough, but I've putted much better there before. I had a 12 ft downhill birdie putt, took 1 inch backswing, went 15 feet past.

I 100% agree with Jeffs response.

Pay attention to your feet. I just learned to do that very recently. For some reason I have had trouble over the last couple of years figuring out the slop of greens. I can think a putt is downhill when really it is uphill. I dont know why that has happened. Maybe it is the same getting old thing that is making driving at night a little more difficult. Hell I am only 37 and dont even need glasses. But something has started to turn. My feet tell me a ton.

Also, you say you dont care enough to spend a lot of time evaluating the putt. If you want to get better than a 3, start caring. I would rather play with someoen that takes a little more time on the green than someone who is rushing. When other players rush I can feel rushed. It doesn't take a lot of time to read a green from both directions. I always read a putt first from the opposite side. It helps tremendously.

I agree with the rest of the OP. Before a round, I think hitting the longest putt a practice green allows will tell you everythign you need to know and is just as important as practicing short putts. If you only have a couple of minutes, which is pretty typical at least for me. I will try to hit three long putts and three-six 4-10 footers and go.

]

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If you're good enough to be a 3 handicap, it means you have played enough golf to generally know how the ball will respond with certain looks on the green. Stop being a mental sloth and pay just a little attention to your surroundings.

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#6 - don't be afraid of the 6" putt coming back.

Unless you're playing courses with a stimp higher than 12, there is no excuse not to get to the hole.

Also I disagree on the 8 foot putts. You'll miss 80 or 90 percent of those anyway. Putting practice should focus on getting long putts to 3 feet and 3-5 foot putts that amateurs hit less than 50% of the time (but many just take).

""Don't be afraid of the 6 ft come backer ""

Out of all the responses, and thanks by the way for all of them, I think that one hits closest to home .

I need to put Much more emphasis on trying to make the putt rather than making sure I only 2 putt.

If that makes sense... Will see how it goes!

I just can't putt...

Shot 79 at cypress lakes . Killed it tee to green... Wind picked pretty good! Eagled 10? But had 8 2 putts, 2 3 putts and 8 1 putts... That is easily a round of 74, with an avg putter!

^
You must've missed a lot of GIR. 8 1-putts is solid. I'll take 30 putts most of the time if my ball-striking is good .

I missed 4 greens...

Were you playing a par-82 course?

You must have mixed in some triples & quads on the holes you missed the GIR.

Seriously, 30 putts is great!

AIMPOINT AIMPOINT AIMPOINT.

Seriously. It's amazing.

30 putts is good enough you humble bragging POS

I shot 74 (par 71) on Saturday with 14/18 GIR (had one eagle putt) and 36 putts, which included 3 3-putts. I'm still wondering how oldschool87 hit the same number GIR as me, had 6 fewer putts, yet shot 5 shots higher than me.

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I shot 74 (par 71) on Saturday with 14/18 GIR (had one eagle putt) and 36 putts, which included 3 3-putts. I'm still wondering how oldschool87 hit the same number GIR as me, had 6 fewer putts, yet shot 5 shots higher than me.

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blow up hole for the win

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I shot 74 (par 71) on Saturday with 14/18 GIR (had one eagle putt) and 36 putts, which included 3 3-putts. I'm still wondering how oldschool87 hit the same number GIR as me, had 6 fewer putts, yet shot 5 shots higher than me.

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Hmmmm....

Really bad sand player?
Missed GIRs also had some penalty shots?
Duffed chips?

Penalties?

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I shot 74 (par 71) on Saturday with 14/18 GIR (had one eagle putt) and 36 putts, which included 3 3-putts. I'm still wondering how oldschool87 hit the same number GIR as me, had 6 fewer putts, yet shot 5 shots higher than me.

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Hmmmm....

Really bad sand player?
Missed GIRs also had some penalty shots?
Duffed chips?

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I'm pretty sure he had to play the 4 holes he missed GIR in 14-over par. I added it up in my head a few days ago, and I believe he would've shot -3 if: (1) he made bogey on the 4 holes he did not hit GIR, and (2) he only had 1 eagle putt.

Yea I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw that something was up. Troll OP